From Fear To A Hairraising Experience
by MasterClass60
Summary: An incident with a mythical flower leaves Braixen in a "hairy" situation. However, Serena helps guide her through, showing that sometimes, you need a friend when you go through the smallest but mightiest things. Disclaimer- I don't own pokemon. Plus, this story will be a fireperformershipping story. ( If you want to know what fireperformershipping is, check my shipping story. )


Hi. I'm back. Today, I'm taking a few pages out of some of my past stories and/ or chapters and mixing it up a notch with this new one shot. So, the basic concept is simple; someone or some pokemon is getting a haircut and at first, that person or pokemon is scared, but with help from their trainers and/or buddies, they start feeling more comfortable. These are the ideas I'm using today that you can read later when you get the chance: _Reliving a Fairytale More or Less from Paws on Kalos Adventures, Cutting to the Chase, Grooming Reunions and Surprising Styling Sensations on Adventures in Kalos: The Journey With Friends. _Now, let's get this chapter train rolling along the tracks.

"Batter, batter, swing," someone shouts as they swing a baseball bat and hit a long drive out to right field. That person turns out to be Ash Ketchum, who was playing baseball with a few of his pokemon and his Kalos buddies Clemont, Bonnie and Serena. Greninja, who was at right field, ran and jumped high, catching the ball with ease. After praising Greninja for an awesome catch as it threw the ball back to Ash, he shouts to Serena and Braixen, who were center and left field," Look out because this one's coming for both of you"! As he hits the ball, it was a high one and a long one too. Seeing that Serena wasn't going to make it, Ash shouts,"Braixen, run out and get the ball"! Braixen ran as fast as her legs could carry her. While pursuing the ball, she passed a golden flower as it poured a cloud of golden pollen. It blinded Braixen temporarily as she tripped and fell. The surprising fact in it all was not the fact that she caught the ball as it fell into her glove, it was what happened overnight after the game. After the game, when the sun was beginning to go down, they turned themselves in at the pokemon center and went to sleep. There, something happened to Braixen while she and everyone else was asleep. In the morning, the Fletchlings were chirping a happy song as the sun was beginning to rise. Pikachu was the first to wake up from the group as it rubbed its tiny eyes and yawned. Then, it turned and saw what looked like a yellow mass on the end of Serena's bed. It first confused Pikachu because it knew that Braixen usually slept there, but she couldn't have turned into a yellow mass overnight unless something happened to her. He went over and what he saw almost made him scream and use thundebolt on everyone to wake them up. The yellow mass was Braixen, but a very long haired version of her. The rest of her was normal which was not even the craziest part, the craziest part was that the long hair came from the top of her head. Pikachu wanted to wake Braixen up and tell her the scenario, but realized that the trainers should be alerted about it first at least.

One at a time, Pikachu used its tail and woke each trainer up and tried to tell them what happened. When they did see was Pikachu was telling them, Bonnie, Clemont and Serena were surprised the most. Ash was...well...his usual dense, I don't understand what's going on self. Serena had to personally wake Braixen up so she can tell her starter what happened and asked if something happened when she least expected it. When Braixen first woke up, she saw a bit of the long fur and became quite startled by it. When Serena showed her a mirror, Braixen screamed in absolute schock as all the pokemon had to cover their ears by how almost high pitched it was. Bonnie was the first to react from the surprised scenario by asking,"How on earth did Braixen's fur get that long overnight"? Everyone was asking the same question until Ash remembered something. He says,"You know, there was a weird flower that shooted some pollen on Braixen yesterday while we were playing baseball. Maybe that has to do with this problem." As Ash explained the details of the flower, Clemont looked it up in a book, trying to find it. Soon, he says in an exclamation,"Of course! The flower on the field must be a Rapunzel flower"! When Bonnie asked what it was, Serena was first to intervene and say,"I heard of them. Apparently, they are really rare. They are supposedly to have a magical pollen that can make a person's hair or a pokemon's fur and/ or feathers really long depending on how much pollen land on them." Clemont then continues on by saying," Although not much of the pollen landed on Braixen, a good amount must have landed on her head and caused her fur to grow that long overnight." Meanwhile, Braixen was surprised at the information, but not really focusing as she was trying to keep most of her newly grown fur out of her face and eyes so she could see.

Seeing this scenario, Serena took the time and hand brushed Braixen's long fur and used an old scrunchy to put it up in a handy ponytail. You could literally see how long it was by how the ponytail was almost touching the floor. Once that was taken care of, Ash and Clemont went back to the baseball field to dig up the flower and replant it somewhere where it won't cause so much trouble. Meanwhile, Serena and Bonnie contemplated on what they were going to do with Braixen. The pokemon watched on with the same curious looks as Braixen had. There was so many choices since her fur was about as equivalent as to having long hair. Bonnie suggested on trying different styles, maybe finding one that Braixen would like. Serena then reminisced what happened at Coumarine City after her showcase debut and got an idea. She says," I have a great idea! Why don't we give Braixen a haircut? That way, we can take care of the longer portions of her fur and style it still." It sounded like a good idea, but there was one small thing that both girls forgot. What did Braixen think about it? Here's a hint, she did not like that idea one bit! Just hearing about it was enough to make her quiver. Not wanting to be a part of this, she dove underneath the bed, hiding away from the others. When Serena saw her hiding, she knelt down to her partner's level and asked,"Are you ok? What's wrong"? However, Braixen just scurried out and hid under the next bed. When Serena tried to follow her, Braixen would be a jump ahead in hiding. When Ash and Clemont returned after replanting the flower, Braixen made a mad dash to the open door and was running out like lightning. Everyone tried to follow her, but she was way too fast for anyone, except Greninja, who almost caught up to her, but ran into a closed automatic door at the last second. When everyone got outside, they separated into groups of 2 to cover more ground. Hawlucha and Pikachu were one group, Greninja and Ash were another, Dedenne, Bonnie and Sylveon were another group, Chespin and Clemont were another group, and Serena with Pancham were the last group. They went off into the forest in search of the scared fox pokemon.

Meanwhile, Braixen kept running and running until she was completely out of breath and really thirsty. She found a small pond in the middle of the forest and stopped for a quick rest there. As she quenched her thirst with the pond water, she was able to get a good look at her reflection. She noticed how small leaves and twigs got caught at the end of her ponytail and did her best to quickly remove them before anyone found her. Guess having long hair does have some bad sides to it. Once that was cleared, she saw her reflection again and grew a little worried. Soon, a rustle in the bushes were heard as Braixen was up and ready to run, but before she could get a few feet away, she stepped on the ends of her ponytail and tripped skimming her leg and falling to the ground. As she got up, it turned out to be Pancham and Serena, who overheard her cries from earlier and came to check the scene out. Immediately getting up and trying to run, something caught her by the ends of her ponytail again. It turned out to be a bush with a lot of tiny branches as her long fur was now tangled in the branches. She struggled to pull her ponytail out, but it was stuck good. Sitting and becoming scared and worried, she knew there was only one way she was going to get out of this. With a mighty shout, Braixen called over Serena and Pancham, who are relieved that she was ok, but see the predicament that Braixen was in. Not wanting to admit it, she needed help as Pancham dove into the bushes and started to untangle the long fur off the branches. Meanwhile, Serena decided to try and talk to her pokemon while Pancham was busy with the bush. Sitting right next to Braixen, Serena turned to her starter and says,"Hey, listen. Is something wrong? You're usually not like this. What's on your mind"? Braixen, although speaking in pokemon language, did her best to tell her," I really, really, really do NOT want to have my haircut! It sounds so scary and I'm worried the most that it'll hurt. Plus, with what happened with Team Rocket back when we first started to travel, I'm a little on edge with having random people do anything with me. But what makes this scared feeling really bad is...I've never had one in my entire life before. Never have and as long as I continue living, never will let something like that happen to me at all"! Normally, no one can understand what their pokemon are saying. However, in that little speech, it was as if Serena could understand what her partner was saying and understand how she felt about this.

Taking this into thought, Serena says,"Braixen, is that why you ran off and hid like this? You're scared"? Braixen nodded slowly as Pancham soon finishes untangling the ends of her ponytail and moving it away from the bush. Serena placed a comforting hand on her partner's shoulders as she gave a smile that seemed to calm Braixen down. She then had an idea that might seem to help Braixen relax. She pulled out the brush that she usually uses on her pokemon. Then, after undoing Braixen's ponytail, letting her long fur down, she began to use the brush on her. Braixen started to relax and feel a lot better. As this continued with Pancham watching happily, Serena continued with,"I can relate to how you feel Braixen. I've felt the same way before. A lot of people had as well. But you want to know something? In it all, one thing remained the same and that is the fact that once it happens, it's not so scary as it seems. Getting a haircut isn't scary at all. Take it from me. Remember back in Coumarine City after our debut"? Braixen took it into thought and became surprised as she began to remember. Seeing that she was thinking about it, Serena continues with,"After sharing that sentimental hug with you and Pancham, I cut my hair to show the change that we would make to become the successful group that we are today. In it all, you didn't see me scared about my decision right"? As Braixen nodded, she seemed to get the message, but still had her fears and doubts. Serena, seeing this then says,"You can ask me anything at all if it helps you feel more comfortable." Braixen, ushering Pancham to help translate what she says to Serena.

She first asked with Pancham motioning it to their trainer,"Does it hurt"? Giving a comforting smile, Serena says,"It doesn't hurt at all. When I did it, you didn't hear or see me hurt right"? Braixen nodded as she started to ask her next question. With Pancham's assistance, she asked,"Will it grow back"? That got answered with,"In time, it'll grow back since from what I know, hair and fur is always growing," straight from Serena. Braixen began to grow more comfortable with the idea as she started to smile. Then, Braixen asked her final question, and it was a pretty deep one,"Will I still be me even after it gets cut"? Serena didn't understand at first, but with Pancham trying to motion it, it soon made sense to her what her partner was trying to say. She says,"Braixen, no matter what, you're still you. You're still the same pokemon who loves to perform, help bake pokepuffs and help me out whenever it's needed. What matters best is what's on the inside. Straight, curly, short, long, black, brown, it wouldn't matter how you looked. What matters is on the inside." Hearing this made Braixen feel a lot better and was beginning to feel a lot more confident. As Serena finished speaking, she had put Braixen's long fur back into a full ponytail. Once she finished, Braixen tackled her trainer into a hug as Serena happily received and hugged her partner back. Soon, they both got up and along with Pancham headed back to the pokemon center.

As for Ash, Clemont, Bonnie and the rest of the pokemon that were out searching, they soon returned as well. Serena explained to the boys that she found her, but told the scenario to Bonnie, who believe it or not, could relate to it. While Clemont helped train Ash by battling, Serena and Bonnie were up in their rented room, figuring out how they were going to do this. Soon, Serena came up with the perfect one as she had Bonnie go to the boys, saying,"I'll surprise you." As Bonnie headed outside, Serena got a few things from her bag, grabbed two swivel chairs and went to the bathroom. As Pancham and Braixen saw, both were thinking _What is our trainer up to? Does it relate to me for a reason not known yet? _A few minutes later, Serena called both of her pokemon in as they were amazed at what they saw. The bathroom was turned into a miniature salon. It was even decorated and had music playing. Braixen was surprised the most, speechless and stasis **( that means motionless, it's an SAT word I just learned ) **for a bit before turning to Serena, who had a smock on. With a smile, she says,"What do you think? I decided that if you were going to get your first haircut, it had to be with someone you were comfortable with. Plus, I thought I'd make the space look authentic, like a real salon, so you'd be used to the experience." Braixen, who smiled at the kind gesture, took a deep breath and was ready to face the music as she sat in a chair.

Serena then says while putting a cape around her partner,"If you have any questions, ask away." Braixen held the end of the cape in confusion, as if to ask _What's this for_? Serena jumped at the question, saying,"In salons and other places, they put these capes around people so the bits of hair that get cut fall onto it and not themselves." Understanding it a little better, Braixen began to settle in as Serena began putting her partner's long fur into a semi low ponytail. It reached to about the beginning of her tail. When Braixen heard the sound of scissors snipping, she jumped lightly, a little nervous about what was about to happen. Serena explained to her,"Since your fur is really long, I'm first just going to make a quick cut so the long part is out of the way." A little shaky, but willing to let her do it, Braixen quickly shut her eyes, not wanting to watch. As Serena made the cut, Braixen's eyes remained shut. But it was when Serena said,"See? I just made a quick cut and nothing happened. Look," that made the fire fox open her eyes one at a time to look. Seeing the lock of long fur that was cut off was a little surprising, but good in a way. Braixen became a lot less nervous as Serena was glad that she felt better. Pancham complimented his teammate, saying in pokemon language that she was being very brave.

Serena then had Braixen sit in the other chair that was placed by the edge of the sink. When she sat, Serena could tell that she was going to ask what was happening next. With it, she says,"Next, I'm going to wash your fur here. In regular salons, they have special sinks where people rest their heads back as they get their hair washed. I tried to set the chair up so you'd be able to do the same." Braixen seemed to get the message as she laid her head back at the rim of the sink. Once settled in, Serena turned the sink on as warm water began to rush out. As it ran, Serena made sure that all the water was absorbed into Braixen's fur. Once it was soaked enough, Serena pulled out a bottle and began to pour out a snow white liquid into one of her hands. When Braixen saw this, Serena says,"This is shampoo, a special soap that specializes in keeping hair and fur clean. This one is my favorite; Sitrus and Pecha Berries Delight. It has a great aroma and leaves your fur smooth as silk." Once enough was poured out, she began to scrub it into Braixen's fur as Braixen began to laugh at the ticklish feeling. Seeing Braixen laugh with a smile on her face was enough to make Serena smile too. After enough scrubbing, Serena turned the water back on and began rinsing the shampoo out of Braixen's fur. Once it was completely rinsed, Serena carefully squeezed the water out and helped Braixen sit up right. Braixen smiled and laughed a bit, seeing how funny she looked in her reflection. Serena and Pancham laughed with her as Serena helped Braixen back to the original chair.

As Braixen looked up to see what Serena would do next. Serena then went to the front of her partner and says,"Now, before I continue, there's something I want to ask. Do you have a preferred style that you want me to do"? Braixen nodded as she pointed to Serena, as if to say _I want it styled just like yours._ Serena seemed to get the message as she smiled and said,"I'll have it styled like you want." With that, Serena reached to plug in the blow dryer and grab a comb. Smiling, she showed the stuff to Braixen, who definitely remembered the blow dryer, but pointed to the comb as if to ask_ What's that_? Serena says,"This is a comb. It sort of woks the same way a regular brush does. The only difference is that a comb has these things called teeth that help untangle loose hair and fur." As she began to use them, Braixen was a little surprised at first by the feeling, but began to enjoy it. Turns out, she really enjoyed letting the comb run through her fur. It brought a surreal feeling that she never realized about till today. Once the dryer was off, Serena unplugged it and reached over the scissors again. Braixen, seeing this grew nervous, but all it took was one deep breath and remembering earlier to calm her nerves. Having Pancham by her side helped out too. With the scissors in hand, Serena says,"Alright, now for the important part, the actual haircut. You ready Braixen"? Seeing her partner nod a prominent yes with a smile made Serena relieved and happy as well.

Once Serena made the first snip, Braixen winced only slightly but was not nervous or jumpy. Knowing that it wasn't hurting and that it will soon be finished helped some of the leftover uneasiness. As Serena kept cutting, you could see how the style was taking shape. Through a common eye, you'd be surprised by how a regular person can have such an amazing talent. It felt like forever, but soon, Serena gave the ,"all done," after adding a special surprise to make it stand out. Braixen opened her eyes and anticipated to see how it looked. As Pancham went to grab a mirror, he was in complete awe on how it looked. Once he gave the mirror to Braixen, now she was the one in complete awe. It looked almost exactly like Serena's with the only difference being in length since Braixen's now reached to about the tip of her shoulders. The best part? The surprise was that Serena dyed her fur with her exact hair color so it'd match hers. Braixen looked up from the mirror and had what could be recorded as the biggest smile known. Serena smiled back and after removing the cape, gave a big hug to her partner with Pancham joining in the friendfest. Once they let go of the hug, they trio worked together and got the bathroom cleanup again as they finished up by bringing the two chairs back out into the room. They then headed outside to show the others Braixen's new haircut.

Meanwhile, Ash and Clemont were having a heated battle with Luxray pitted against Greninja. Bonnie, Pikachu, Sylveon and Hawlucha were watching and cheering on from the sidelines. Luxray charged in with thunder fang as Greninja was going in to counter with cut. However, one thing made both pokemon stop cold and turn around to see with the same thing happening to the trainers and the cheerleaders on the sidelines. What was it? It was Serena, Pancham and...Braixen?! When everyone saw Braixen, both boys were speechless, the pokemon were jaw dropped and Bonnie just smiled and said,"Wowee! Braixen looks really pretty"! All the pokemon gathered around Braixen with compliments in their pokemon language such as,"You look incredible," and ,"That ahirstyle really suits you," and even Greninja said,"Your haircut really stands out. It is as beautiful as you are," which made Braixen blush. Sylveon was a little surprised at first, almost not recognizing her teammate at first. It was when Braixen knelt to Sylveon and said," What do you think Sylve," that made Sylveon smile and say that she liked it. Besides, no matter how she looked, Braixen was the only pokemon in the whole group that called her Sylve. Seeing how everyone liked it made Braixen feel great as Serena joined in, saying,"Everyone seems to like it." Later on, as the sun started to go down, everyone was inside enjoying a huge feast Clemont prepared. Everyone chatted away as the pokemon chatted away as well. At night, everyone began to settle in for the night. Ash and Oikachu were already passed out asleep on their bed while Bonnie was on her bed, watching Clemont tinker with his Aipom arm. Serena was busy grooming her pokemon, Pancham at the moment as Braixen was waiting for her turn. Sylveon already went earlier and was already returned to her respective pokeball. Once Pancham was finished and returned back to its pokeball, Serena had Braixen lay down for her turn. As the fire fox was on their tummy, Serena began to move the brush on her tail, then her back and finally moving to her head. Stroking the brush through her hair, Braixen smiled and had a relaxed smile on her. As this kept up, Serena said to her partner,"I'm really proud of you. Today, you faced the music and did something completely new for the first time. Even though you were scared at first, you still did it." Braixen chirped in agreement as Serena put the brush back in her bag. However, before she could react, Braixen was fast asleep on Serena's lap. It was a good thing that she was already changed because she didn't want to wake Braixen up. As she laid back, she ran her fingers through Braixen's new haircut, slightly ruffling it, but amazed by the feeling. Braixen seemed to enjoy it as she gave a content sigh as Serena soon turned off the light and fell asleep as well. What a day of new things, new experiences and new found bonds between trainer and pokemon.

And scene. Expect updates by this weekend.


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